GB72
Money List Winner
I received these as part of the test panel and made the mistake of writing a review before receiving the full instructions. I wrote over 1000 words when only 175 were wanted. Anyway, rather than totally waste my time I thought I would post the full version on here (not spoiling the actual article GM said was OK)
The first point to comment on has to be the names. I talked to a number of golfers of differing ages and the results were to be expected. The older golfers felt that they would be unlikely to play a ball named ‘Freak’ or ‘Gamer’ however good it may be, the younger golfers really liked the branding whilst those in my age group, those in the mid thirties, seemed more ambivalent. Whether it is a good idea to
The first outings that I made were with the ‘Freak’ ball. The winter conditions had left me looking for a little extra distance off the tee and this was what the ‘Freak’ was designed to give. When possible, I would take 2 drives, one with my usual ball (currently DX†Soft) and one with the new Topflite. When comparing ball carry, the Topflite excelled. Almost without fail the Topflite ball travelled about 10 yards further than the drive with my regular ball. I was reaching parts of the fairway usually reserved for a good shot on a dry summer’s day and, considering the damp conditions, this has to be chalked up as a score in favour of the Freak.
One aspect that will prove particularly attractive to the higher handicap player, such as myself, was the fact that it was also very straight off tee. There were a number of occasions when I hit shots that would usually have found me trudging through the long grass but, to my surprise, I often found the ball nestling in the light rough. Whilst not a panacea for all slicing problems, I certainly found that the side spin was much less than with my usual ball.
It was also softer than I expected. There was certainly no jarring sensation up my arm on impact, a feeling often associated with rock hard distance balls, and it actually felt pretty good coming off the centre of the club face. They were also not bad around the greens, certainly comparable with other balls at the top end of the distance market. I will be the first to admit that my short game is a bit hit and miss but I certainly managed to get some stop on the more receptive winter greens. Overall, I feel that the ‘Freak’ has achieved exactly what it set out to do. It gives superior distance and flies straight without losing too much control around the greens. I can certainly recommend the ‘Freak’ as an ideal ball for the higher handicap player, for those looking for more distance or to those looking for a good winter ball to put into play.
The ‘gamer’ ball, I feel, has chosen itself a far more difficult sector of the market to compete in. Whilst I can count the number of decent distance balls that I would use on one hand, the market for a reasonably priced softer ball aimed to give control around the green contains at least a dozen balls that I would put into play. Whilst there was nothing intrinsically wrong with the ‘gamer’ ball, it just did not quite measure up when compared to other, better known, balls in this area. The ball that I keep coming back to when looking for control is the Wilson Staff DX2 soft and I used this as a comparison. The ‘gamer’ felt harder off the club face and more difficult to control than my regular ball. It may have been slightly longer off the tee than my usual ball but that was not enough for me to ignore its mediocrity in other areas. To be honest, the ‘gamer’ would probably fall comfortably into my old opinion of Topflite balls, not bad for the money and useable on days when I am off form and likely to lose a few but unlikely to become a regular feature in my bag.
Overall, a mixed bag from Topflite this year. The Freak is a really good distance ball, easily in the same league as my old favourite, the Callaway Warbird. It offers some stunning distance and good levels of forgiveness whilst maintaining a reasonable degree of feel and spin around the green. The Gamer, however, whilst not a bad ball simply does not stand out against other, more established, entrants in the market. Unless the price is significantly lower, the ‘Gamer’ would be hard pushed to compete against the Titleist NXT and PTS Solo, the Srixon AD333, Wilson Staff PX3 and DX2 and other such popular brands. In a suitable price bracket, however, it may well find a market competing with balls such as the Nike Distance Soft and the Srixon Soft balls.
In conclusion, I would probably buy the Freak balls, certainly for winter play and maybe even in the summer just to see how far they will fly in prime conditions. Certainly the lack of side spin and the distance produced were attractive features. A lower handicap golfer, however, may be concerned at whether they could generate enough spin to stay on a firm, dry summer green and they may be a little hard for some golfer’s tastes. The Gamer, however, would be less likely to become a fixture of my game, not because it is a bad ball but because it is simply not as good as the alternatives and does not offer much over its sister product. It is softer than the Freak but not by much; it has more spin than the Freak but not by much and not as much as the competition and so falls into the category of simply being ‘OK’. Certainly it does not have anything that would drag the better golfer away from the more prestigious brands unless it competes at a bargain price.
The first point to comment on has to be the names. I talked to a number of golfers of differing ages and the results were to be expected. The older golfers felt that they would be unlikely to play a ball named ‘Freak’ or ‘Gamer’ however good it may be, the younger golfers really liked the branding whilst those in my age group, those in the mid thirties, seemed more ambivalent. Whether it is a good idea to
The first outings that I made were with the ‘Freak’ ball. The winter conditions had left me looking for a little extra distance off the tee and this was what the ‘Freak’ was designed to give. When possible, I would take 2 drives, one with my usual ball (currently DX†Soft) and one with the new Topflite. When comparing ball carry, the Topflite excelled. Almost without fail the Topflite ball travelled about 10 yards further than the drive with my regular ball. I was reaching parts of the fairway usually reserved for a good shot on a dry summer’s day and, considering the damp conditions, this has to be chalked up as a score in favour of the Freak.
One aspect that will prove particularly attractive to the higher handicap player, such as myself, was the fact that it was also very straight off tee. There were a number of occasions when I hit shots that would usually have found me trudging through the long grass but, to my surprise, I often found the ball nestling in the light rough. Whilst not a panacea for all slicing problems, I certainly found that the side spin was much less than with my usual ball.
It was also softer than I expected. There was certainly no jarring sensation up my arm on impact, a feeling often associated with rock hard distance balls, and it actually felt pretty good coming off the centre of the club face. They were also not bad around the greens, certainly comparable with other balls at the top end of the distance market. I will be the first to admit that my short game is a bit hit and miss but I certainly managed to get some stop on the more receptive winter greens. Overall, I feel that the ‘Freak’ has achieved exactly what it set out to do. It gives superior distance and flies straight without losing too much control around the greens. I can certainly recommend the ‘Freak’ as an ideal ball for the higher handicap player, for those looking for more distance or to those looking for a good winter ball to put into play.
The ‘gamer’ ball, I feel, has chosen itself a far more difficult sector of the market to compete in. Whilst I can count the number of decent distance balls that I would use on one hand, the market for a reasonably priced softer ball aimed to give control around the green contains at least a dozen balls that I would put into play. Whilst there was nothing intrinsically wrong with the ‘gamer’ ball, it just did not quite measure up when compared to other, better known, balls in this area. The ball that I keep coming back to when looking for control is the Wilson Staff DX2 soft and I used this as a comparison. The ‘gamer’ felt harder off the club face and more difficult to control than my regular ball. It may have been slightly longer off the tee than my usual ball but that was not enough for me to ignore its mediocrity in other areas. To be honest, the ‘gamer’ would probably fall comfortably into my old opinion of Topflite balls, not bad for the money and useable on days when I am off form and likely to lose a few but unlikely to become a regular feature in my bag.
Overall, a mixed bag from Topflite this year. The Freak is a really good distance ball, easily in the same league as my old favourite, the Callaway Warbird. It offers some stunning distance and good levels of forgiveness whilst maintaining a reasonable degree of feel and spin around the green. The Gamer, however, whilst not a bad ball simply does not stand out against other, more established, entrants in the market. Unless the price is significantly lower, the ‘Gamer’ would be hard pushed to compete against the Titleist NXT and PTS Solo, the Srixon AD333, Wilson Staff PX3 and DX2 and other such popular brands. In a suitable price bracket, however, it may well find a market competing with balls such as the Nike Distance Soft and the Srixon Soft balls.
In conclusion, I would probably buy the Freak balls, certainly for winter play and maybe even in the summer just to see how far they will fly in prime conditions. Certainly the lack of side spin and the distance produced were attractive features. A lower handicap golfer, however, may be concerned at whether they could generate enough spin to stay on a firm, dry summer green and they may be a little hard for some golfer’s tastes. The Gamer, however, would be less likely to become a fixture of my game, not because it is a bad ball but because it is simply not as good as the alternatives and does not offer much over its sister product. It is softer than the Freak but not by much; it has more spin than the Freak but not by much and not as much as the competition and so falls into the category of simply being ‘OK’. Certainly it does not have anything that would drag the better golfer away from the more prestigious brands unless it competes at a bargain price.
